The assailants carried out the attack at a weekly market in Kokrajhar, which is located some 220 kilometers west of Assam State’s capital, Guwahati, on Friday, police said.
Smoke rises from the site of a militant attack at Balajan Tinali, in the Kokrajhar district of northeastern Assam state on August 5, 2016.
Local media quoted Assam’s police chief Mukesh Sahay as saying that three or more militants were involved in the attack. He said one of them was killed by security forces, who he said were in pursuit of the other gunmen in the area.
Smoke billows as Indian security personnel and bystanders gather near the site of a militant attack at Balajan Tinali, in the Kokrajhar district of northeastern Assam state on August 5, 2016.
A witness said he saw a gunman who was “dressed in [a] black raincoat-like gown and another two were sitting in an auto rickshaw.” The witness said the man in black was firing at the crowd indiscriminately.
Militant Group Members Open Fire on People at Market in India’s Northeast
Reports said the militants also threw a grenade in the market.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju condemned the attack, describing it as “very dastardly and unfortunate.” He blamed the raid on the so-called National Democratic Front of Bodoland (Songbijit) militant group.
“Police have launched a hunt to trace insurgents hiding near the incident spot. It is a militant attack and we will be sending a team from Delhi to investigate further,” he added.
The attack came despite high security measures that have been adopted in Assam ahead of Independence Day celebrations to be held on August 15.
Assam, which is a remote and underdeveloped state in India, has for years been the scene of militancy along ethnic and tribal lines; Press TV reported.
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